ES2865415T3 - Cruise monitoring and alert system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

A monitoring system (10) for use with a mobile platform (12) that is operated by an operator, the system comprising: a database (16) to contain operational information and procedures related to the operation of the platform (12 ) mobile by the operator; and a processor (14) in communication with the database (16) and with at least one subsystem (20, 22a, 22b) of the mobile platform (12) to monitor operational information related to the operation of the mobile platform (12) , including monitoring if the operator does not perform a periodic verification that is required by standard operating procedures at predetermined intervals, with respect to stored information contained in said database (16), and determining whether the operation of the platform (12) mobile advances according to an expected performance, determining if the operator does not perform the periodic verification, where said processor (14) generates an alert (32, 36, 40) if said operation of said mobile platform (12) deviates from said expected performance, wherein said mobile platform (12) is an aircraft, wherein said operator is a pilot in command of said aircraft.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Cruise monitoring and alert system and method

Background

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to this disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

The present description relates to systems that monitor the performance of a mobile platform and of a crew member operating the mobile platform, and more particularly to a system and a method that monitors the performance of a crew member and an aircraft. and provides an alert if the performance of the aircraft or crew member differs from the expected performance.

When the era of jet transport began in the 1960s, the complexity of aircraft systems and operating procedures required three crew members to operate the aircraft. Advances in aircraft systems and electronic capabilities allowed the next generation of aircraft designed in the early 1980s to be operated by a crew of two pilots. Advances in aircraft capability made it possible to automate the tasks of the third crew member and the remaining tasks were split between two pilots, allowing for safe and efficient operation and, in fact, reducing the number of operational crew errors. . When two-man flight decks were designed, certification requirements dictated that all controls and directions necessary to fly the aircraft would be located, and in some cases duplicated, so that the aircraft could be operated by a single member of the crew. crew from any seated position in the event a crew member becomes incapacitated.

The crew's tasks have been divided into what is called "flying pilot" (or "pilot in command") and "pilot monitoring" (or "pilot not in command"). The flying pilot is responsible for manually piloting the aircraft or operating the aircraft systems used to fly the aircraft during autopilot operation. The monitoring pilot is responsible for communications and cross-checking of the flying pilot to ensure that no inadvertent errors are made and that the aircraft remains on the authorized flight plan. However, with today's commercial transport aircraft, most cruise segments are operated on autopilot. Consequently, the operational requirements of the crew are much less demanding than during takeoff, climb and descent, especially during oceanic and remote cruise flight segments.

Despite the less stringent operational requirements of the crew, and in order to ensure cross-checking of actions taken or required by the flying pilot, and also to combat fatigue and meet the regulatory requirements of the service time of the crew, current long-range flights must operate with three or four flight crew members on board. This is so despite the fact that only two flight crew members are required to operate the aircraft. Additional "supernumerary" crew members rotate through the roles of pilot flying and control monitoring, allowing the two main flight crew members to take rest periods in the passenger cabin or dedicated flight rest facilities. crew on the aircraft. The current method of operating flights with more than two crew members to meet crew service time limitations significantly increases aircraft-related cash operating costs (CAROC) for an airline.

Document WO 2006/068962 A2 describes a system and method for operating an aircraft so that any hostile people taking the cockpit, for example terrorists or a disgruntled pilot, cannot control the flight path of the aircraft to enter a restricted airspace, such as "no-fly" zones, or any pilot authorized while operating an aircraft, may not inadvertently enter any "no-fly" zone area.

EP 0974885 A1 describes an electronic checklist (ECL) system for a complex system and the corresponding method to control the submission of non-normal checklists based on signals generated by a crew alert system (112 ) in accordance with the abnormal operating conditions of the complex system. The ECL system automatically inhibits all non-relevant non-normal checklists, eliminating the burden on the crew of having to determine which checklists are redundant or inappropriate based on the abnormal conditions that occur. An inhibited non-relevant non-normal checklist does not include a checklist status icon that is displayed next to its associated crew alert message. This indicates to the crew that it is not necessary to comply with the associated non-normal checklist. Additionally, the inhibited checklist is removed from the checklist queue, its operational notes are removed from the notes file, its deferred line items are removed from the predefined normal checklist, and the status of the list is preserved. check. A software interface tool allows remote modification of checklists.

Summary

The present invention provides a system according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 6. Furthermore, optional features of the present invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Additional areas of applicability will be apparent from the description provided here. It is to be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Brief description of the drawings

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating the operations performed by the system of Figure 1.

Detailed description

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate similar or corresponding parts and features. Referring to Figure 1, a monitoring and alert system 10 for use with a mobile platform 12 is shown. For convenience, monitoring and alerting system 10 will be referred to throughout the following discussion simply as "system 10". Furthermore, although the system 10 will be described in connection with the operation of a mobile platform, it will be appreciated that the system 10, in accordance with examples not covered by the present invention, could be easily implemented in connection with the operation of fixed machinery or the operation or monitoring of other non-mobile equipment, facilities or systems. The system 10, according to examples not covered by the present invention, is adaptable to practically any application where it is desired to control the operation of a vehicle, machine or other form of system, or the performance of an operator responsible for operating the vehicle, the machine or other form of system. Furthermore, although the following discussion may refer to the mobile platform 12 as "aircraft 12", which forms a commercial jet transport aircraft, it will be appreciated that the system 10, in accordance with examples not covered by the present invention, could be easily employed with any form of mobile platform such as a marine vessel (i.e. surface vessel or submarine), a helicopter, a land vehicle such as a van, truck, automobile or bus, or other form of aerial vehicles such as helicopters and vehicles space. A particularly desirable implementation of the system 10 will be in connection with the use of commercial transport jet aircraft to allow the number of crew members required to pilot the aircraft to be reduced without affecting the safety of the crew and / or unmanned passengers. traveling in aircraft 12. In addition, for the purpose of the following discussion, the "operator" of aircraft 12 will be referred to as the "pilot-in-command." The crew member assisting the pilot-in-command will be known as the "pilot not in command" or the "secondary operator".

With further reference to Figure 1, system 10 includes a processor 14 that communicates with a monitoring and alert database 16. Processor 14 may include one or more specific algorithms 18 that interpret data received by the processor and which provides information back to the processor that it uses to determine whether or not a specific aircraft performance or performance criteria is met. operator.

Processor 14 receives information from a flight management subsystem 20 (typically referred to as a "flight management computer" ("FMC") in the aviation industry) that provides information to processor 14 regarding performance and data. flight path. The typical information received from the flight management subsystem 20 could be flight route information including waypoints, estimated times of arrival (ETAs) for waypoints, current fuel estimates and projected fuel consumption, and mode status. automation (i.e., lateral orientation from flight management subsystem 20, vertical guidance from flight management subsystem 20, docking, and push mode from latch and sub-mode from flight management subsystem 20).

Processor 14 may also receive physiological data related to the condition of the pilot-in-command and the pilot not in command, as indicated by subsystems 22a and 22b, respectively. Such data can be provided to processor 14 through a pilot on command switch 23 which allows the pilot in command (or even the pilot not in command) to select which one will have their health data monitored by processor 14. Of course, provision can also be made for the processor 14 to monitor the health data of both individuals simultaneously without any switching required. Health data can be related to pulse, respiration, blood oxygen level data, or any other data that may indicate a change in the physiological state of the pilot-in-command and / or the pilot not in command. In this regard, it will be appreciated that appropriate health monitoring equipment should be attached to the pilot-in-command (ie pilot) and / or pilot not in command (ie co-pilot) prior to aircraft operation 12 for such health monitoring data to be generated. The processor 14 receives this information in real time (that is, almost instantaneously) and uses the information to monitor the physiological condition of the pilot-in-command and / or the pilot who does not. is in command, depending on whether one or both individuals are connected to suitable monitoring equipment. If the processor 14 detects a significant physiological change in the health of the person being monitored, then it can generate an alert, which will be described in more detail in the following paragraphs.

Various reminder messages, which may not be directly related to a certified portion of the duties of the two crew members, but may be part of the duties of the two crew members imposed by an airline to comply with the procedures of the company, may be provided to processor 14, as indicated in block 24. Such reminder messages may be route specific. For example, such a flight-specific message may be a message that a flight is halfway to its intended destination, requiring the pilot to respond with an acknowledgment to an airline worker about the status of a particular passenger or some specific cargo carried on the aircraft 12. Reminders can also be specific to a mission in a military operation. For example, such reminders can come immediately after various actions occur during a mission that requires a response from the pilot-in-command. Failure of the pilot-in-command to respond to any of the reminders within a predetermined period of time (eg, 30 seconds) may cause processor 14 to generate a real-time alert. System 10 can also be integrated with a flight plan monitoring system 26, such as that described in US Patent No. 6,828,921, assigned to The Boeing Company. System 26 provides complete flight plan information to processor 14 and works cooperatively with processor 14 to ensure that the processor is informed of any action (or inaction) by the pilot-in-command that will cause aircraft 12 to deviate from a target. filed flight plan that was modified by air traffic control (ATC), known as the "cleared flight plan."

System 10 may also make use of various aircraft performance data or information, as indicated in block 28, such as airspeed information, navigation data, altitude data, fuel data, and mode announcements. autopilot, etc., which are provided to processor 14 for monitoring and analysis. If processor 14 determines that any information received is outside of an expected range or value, processor 14 may indicate a real-time alert informing the pilot-in-command or the pilot not in command of the condition.

Finally, the system 10 can calculate specific information based on the data received from the aircraft 12 as indicated in block 30, such as fuel consumed compared to the presented flight plan; fuel consumption per waypoint; Equal Time Point (ETP) calculations from two-engine Extended Operating Range (ETOPS) performance standards; three-minute air traffic control (ATC) report, and so on. Processor 14 can compare this information with other data stored in database 16, with or without the use of algorithms 18, to determine if any conditions have arisen that require pilot-in-command input or pilot input that does not. is in command, or verify that an expected input has been received from the pilot-in-command or the pilot not in command.

It is a major advantage of the system 10 that the processor 14 is capable of generating one or more alerts in the event that the performance of the aircraft 12, or the pilot-in-command, deviates from an expected performance. More specifically, the system 10 is capable of providing a real-time alert when the performance or operation of the aircraft 12 deviates from expected performance or specific airline operating procedures. For example, system 10 may provide an alert if the aircraft's flight path begins to deviate from the expected flight path, or if the pilot-in-command does not provide input (for example, start the auxiliary power unit (APU ) at a predetermined time before the descent of the aircraft 12). The system provides an alert if the pilot does not perform a periodic check that is required by standard operating procedures (SOPs) at predetermined intervals.

System 10 implements what can be viewed as a hierarchical alert scheme. Initially, if the processor 14 detects an incorrect action or inaction on the part of the pilot-in-command, the processor will provide an alert to the pilot-in-command, as indicated in block 32. This alert may be provided on a separate visual alert screen 35a. shown in Figure 1 (for example, a light) that the pilot-in-command can see. If processor 14 does not detect that the appropriate response has been provided by the pilot-in-command within a predetermined period of time, then processor 14 may raise the alert level. For example, this may involve providing an audible alarm via a separate audible alarm generator 35b (eg, a loudspeaker) to the pilot-in-command, in addition to the visual alert from the display 35a. The audible alarm generator 35b is also shown in Figure 1. Alternatively, the processor 14 may provide a separate alert to the pilot not in command, as indicated by block 36, that the pilot in command did not respond adequately. This alert can be provided on the visual alert screen 35a or through the audible alarm generator 35b, or it can even be provided audibly through headphones that the pilot not under command is wearing. Alternatively, or in addition to the alert provided to the pilot who is not in command, the processor 14 may provide an alert to the aircraft cabin crew 12 through a cabin interphone subsystem 38. The cabin interphone subsystem 38 may provide a visual or audible signal that cabin personnel recognize to mean that an operational procedure required by the pilot-in-command has not been carried out, or that the performance of the aircraft 12 or the aircraft's flight has deviated from an expected course. In addition, system 10 may provide an alert (i.e., wireless communication) through a ground system alert subsystem 40 to an air traffic control (ATC) tower that the required response has not been met. received within the required time frame. Processor 14 may also provide an alert through any of the components described above if physiological abnormalities are detected from health data obtained from subsystems 22a and 22b. It will be appreciated that any alert generated by processor 14 is preferably a real time alert.

Referring now to Figure 2, a flowchart 100 is shown illustrating the operations that the system 10 can perform. In operation 102, the processor 14 receives information from the aircraft 12 related to the aircraft's flight path, the performance of the various subsystems of the aircraft, and any actions the pilot-in-command needs to take or expects to take at specified time intervals. In operation 104 the processor 14 can use information obtained from the database 16 and the stored algorithms 18 to determine whether the travel path of the aircraft 12, the performance of various subsystems of the aircraft or the performance of the pilot-in-command, has given rise to the need to generate an alert together with the type of alert required. If the need for an alert has arisen, the processor 14 generates the necessary alert for the pilot-in-command, as indicated in step 106, and then monitors the expected response, as indicated in step 108. If the expected response is receives in step 108, then the alert is cleared, as indicated in step 110, and the monitoring action continues. If an alert has been generated, but the expected response from the pilot-in-command is not received in operation 108, then the alert level can be raised or a second alert is generated for the pilot not in command, as indicated at step 112. If the expected input from the pilot-in-command is then received after a short additional predetermined time (eg, 30 seconds or less), as indicated at step 114, the alert to the pilot who is not in control is removed. command, as indicated in operation 116. However, if no response is received from the pilot-in-command or the pilot not in command after the additional short predetermined period of time, as indicated in operation 114, it may be generated an additional alert directed to the cabin crew as indicated in operation 118. Optionally, at any time, an alert can be transmitted wirelessly from aircraft 12 to a remote facility, for example a facility of air traffic control or a dispatch center of an airline, as indicated by operation 120. If it is detected that the alert is cleared in operation 122, then the system 10 continues to monitor the information received that the processor 14 receives. If the alert is detected as still existing in step 122, then system 10 may continue to check for the expected response of the pilot-in-command in step 114.

System 10 allows a commercial transport aircraft that would normally require current flight standards for long-range flights to have four flight crew members on board to operate safely with two or three flight crew members. For flights where two crew members are required, System 10 could allow the flight to be performed with a single crew member during the cruise segment, and would also extend the number of operations that can be performed with only two crew members. crew. System 10 enables this reduction in manpower by essentially performing various monitoring and checking actions that would normally be performed by the pilot not in command. Reducing the number of flight crews required for a given flight can represent a significant cost savings for an airline operating aircraft 12. System 10 also reduces the potential for one or more operational errors (due to human error) from the aircraft. monitoring function.

Although various embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will recognize modifications or variations that could be made without departing from the present disclosure.

The examples illustrate the various embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

Claims (12)

1. A monitoring system (10) for use with a mobile platform (12) that is operated by an operator, the system comprising: a database (16) to contain operational information and procedures related to the operation of the mobile platform (12) by the operator; and a processor (14) in communication with the database (16) and with at least one subsystem (20, 22a, 22b) of the mobile platform (12) to monitor operational information related to the operation of the mobile platform (12), including monitoring if the operator does not perform a periodic verification that is required by standard operating procedures at predetermined intervals, with respect to stored information contained in said database (16), and determining whether the operation of the mobile platform (12) advances according to an expected performance, determining if the operator does not perform the periodic verification, wherein said processor (14) generates an alert (32, 36, 40) if said operation of said mobile platform (12) deviates from said expected performance, wherein said mobile platform (12) is an aircraft, wherein said operator is a pilot in command of said aircraft. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein: said mobile platform (12) is a commercial transport aircraft; and said at least one subsystem (20, 22a, 22b) of the mobile platform (12) comprises a flight management subsystem (20) of the mobile platform (12) supplying route data to the processor (14) with respect to a route that the aircraft is assigned to follow during a flight. The system of claim 2, further comprising a subsystem (22a, 22b) for generating physiological information related to a condition of said pilot, and supplying said physiological information to said processor (14). The system of claim 3, wherein said alert comprises at least one of: an output to a visual alert screen (35a) of the mobile platform (12); an output to an audible alarm generator (35b); an output to a remotely located control station (40) associated with the operation of the mobile platform (12); an alert for the operator (32) of the mobile platform (12); an alert to a secondary operator (36) of the mobile platform (12) who is not in primary command of the mobile platform (12); and an alert to the cabin crew members (38) on the mobile platform (12). The system of claim 1, wherein said processor (14) is adapted to receive at least one of the following: route specific reminders; and mission-specific reminders. 6. A method for monitoring the operation (100) of a mobile platform (12), and alerting at least one operator of the mobile platform (12) when the operation of said mobile platform begins to deviate from an expected operation, said method: using a database (16) to contain operational information and procedures related to the operation of the mobile platform (12) by the operator; process (102) information from said database (16) and information (28, 30) on the operation of said mobile platform (12), including monitoring if the operator does not perform a periodic verification that is required by standard operating procedures at predetermined intervals, to determine if said mobile platform (12) and said operator follow a course of expected performance; and when said mobile platform (12) and said operator deviate from said expected performance course, generate an alert (32, 36) to said operator, wherein said mobile platform (12) is an aircraft, wherein said operator is a pilot in command of said aircraft. The method of claim 6, wherein said processing information (102) for determining whether said mobile platform (12) and said operator are following a course of expected performance, comprises determining whether said mobile platform (12) is following a default course of travel. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of generating an alert to said operator comprises providing said alert on a visual alert screen (35a) of said mobile platform (12). The method of claim 6, wherein said step of generating an alert for said operator comprises generating (112) an additional alert for a secondary operator of said mobile platform (12) who is helping said operator to operate said mobile platform . The method of claim 6, further comprising monitoring a physiological condition of said operator and generating an alert if said monitored physiological condition deviates from a predetermined standard. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of generating an alert (106) to said operator comprises at least one of: generating an alert on a visual alert screen (35a) of said mobile platform (12); generating an audible alert using an audible alarm generator (35b); generating an alert for a secondary operator (112) who is the secondary responsible for operating said mobile platform (12); generating an alert that is communicated wirelessly (120) to a remote monitoring facility that is monitoring the movement of said mobile platform (12); and generating an alert to the personnel present on said mobile platform (118) but not responsible for piloting said mobile platform (12). The method of claim 6, wherein the mobile platform (12) is a commercial transport aircraft, wherein the information (28, 30) concerning the operation of said mobile platform (12) comprises information (28, 30 ) in real time concerning the operation of said aircraft and, where the alert is a real time alert.